9/11 hero faces deportation from US over drug offence committed in 1990

A man who helped to move hazardous material from Ground Zero in the aftermath of 9/11 is now facing deportation from the US.

Carlos Humberto Cardona played a key role in the recovery effort after 9/11 and still has lung, gastrointestinal and psychological problems, according to New York Daily News.

Cardona was allegedly taken into custody in February when he was asked to report to immigration authorities.

The man was given a removal order in 2000 because he was convicted of attempting to sell drugs in 1990, The Hill said.

His wife said that he came to America from Colombia when he was 17 in 1986, in order to escape anti-government rebels who killed his brothers.

Cardona's attorney has now requested that a federal judge ask the Department of Homeland Security and immigration offices to make a quick decision on an application made in 2014, which would verify his marriage to a naturalised citizen.

The man is also said to have put in a clemency application with authorities in New York in an attempt to fight his deportation.

Rajesh Barua, his attorney, has said: “He’s scared of going back to Colombia. He doesn’t know how he'll maintain a living and what kind of treatment he’ll have for respiratory problems, which are very real.”